Just Because
by blank canvas of me
Summary: AU. Everyone knew that Maka Albarn thrived on routine. After gym came lunch, and then came Soul. He was always an anchor to Maka's dependability. Ever since he started teasing her relentlessly in freshman year of high school, the white-haired boy was practically in her laminated schedule. "Why do you have to bother me, Soul?" His red eyes gleamed in amusement. "Just because."


**Just Because:**

**SoMa AU.**

**I do not own Soul Eater. **

* * *

If there was one thing that Soul 'Eater' Evans was, it was that he was dependable.

Maka Albarn could always count on him showing up next to her locker, prepared to infuriate and annoy her senselessly.

It was like clockwork, really. Every day she would show up to high school punctually, right on the dot (7:00 a.m.) and begin unloading things into her worn-down locker. Her best friend Tsubaki would show up five minutes later, three minutes before they were due to go to homeroom. They would chatter for a bit, giggle over new actors, discuss new books or movies, and the blue-eyed girl would excuse herself politely, making her way to her separate class halfway around the school.

And then _he_ arrived. Soul Evans, although he constantly insisted that everyone call his last name 'Eater,' due to an irreproachable fact that Maka was still unsure of. He wasn't that popular; he didn't sit with the jocks or the cheerleaders, though everyone knew his name. Soul. The cool guy. The boy that Maka could always rely on...to tease the hell out of her. He would approach her locker, lean against it, wearing the same jacket that he did all day. His snow colored hair would be a mess from bedhead and hurriedly applied hair gel, and his bright crimson eyes would always glint with vibrant amusement. Maka wasn't sure what she did to deserve Soul's attention,- more like torture- but by the first day that he approached her, everyone in the school knew her name.

She used to be invisible. Maka Albarn was the nerdy girl who wore pigtails and a short-plaid skirt, glaring down everyone that wasn't in her close group of friends. The fifteen-year-old was very...selective about who her friends were. Maybe that was why she only had a grand total of three. Her group consisted of Tsubaki, a curvy black-haired girl who was the nicest person that Maka had ever known. Boys often asked her out, but she rejected them all kindly, claiming that she already had a boyfriend. Only Maka knew that this boyfriend didn't even exist. Tsubaki just didn't want to hurt their feelings, even though Maka knew what their intentions already were for her friend. For once, Maka was glad she wasn't as matured. Then there was Black Star, a loud, obnoxious, blue-haired boy who had a god-complex, and a major crush on Tsubaki, who appeared to return the affection. Unfortunately, everyone looked down on Black Star for his brandish personality, despite him actually being nice company. Kid was last. His father was the principle of the school, and as a result, he was immediately branded as 'teacher's pet.' Which wasn't that much of a problem, if he wasn't majorly OCD. The golden-eyed boy was obsessed- and she means _obsessed_- with symmetry. Quite often, he always demanded to fix her pigtails if they weren't perfectly aligned.

Maka liked being invisible. She liked being known as a nobody, because she wasn't sure how to deal with being a somebody. She was quiet, studious, a book-worm, with a small amount of friends. That was okay with her. She liked her life, even though she grew rather lonely at times. She liked being able to depend on the same routine.

But then Soul, out of the blue, decided that she would be his new personal punching bag.

Obviously he didn't hit her, but he bantered with her endlessly. He made it a habit to choose the seat behind her, whispering words in her ear and tugging on her pigtails. He would prod her with sharp pencils, (he made a big show of going up to the pencil sharpener _every single class_) and throw paper balls at the side of her hair. By the end of class, she had learned a total of nothing, had been the laughing-stock of the entire class, and her fingertips hurt so tightly from balling them into a restrained fist.

When she demanded to know what his problem was, her only response was 'just because.' What the hell did that mean?

Over the course of a few weeks, Soul and Maka became well-known as being the only source of entertainment during a boring class.

It made Maka mad. Furious at Soul for messing up her routine. Secretly, she liked the attention from him. It wasn't often that a boy came up and made fun of her. But mostly, she detested Soul Eater for ruining being invisible.

As time went on, he grew on her. Almost like a white-haired leech that never went away. Soul Eater simply became part of everyday life. It was just something that Maka came to accept.

But there were days when she simply wanted to _throttle_ that boy.

Days like today.

Tsubaki laughed, her blue eyes lighting up at Maka's comment. "Oh, come on. Soul's not _that_ bad."

Maka grumbled something incoherently, stuffing her book-bag into the locker. "You're not the one getting your pigtails tugged."

"You know, Maka, you could always just take out your pigtails."

For some reason, her comment settled uncomfortably inside the girl's stomach. "No!" Tsubaki arched an eyebrow at Maka's abrupt outburst, the corners of her lips tugging upward. Maka flushed instantly, fumbling to come up with excuses. "I-I mean, that just wouldn't work! Because if I take them out, then that would mean that he's won!" Tsubaki stifled another knowing smile, closing her lock gently with a quiet clang. Maka sighed at the twitching smile on her friend's face, blowing up the tinges of her blonde bangs. Not only did Soul incessantly go to great lengths to piss her off, all her friends were excitedly awaiting the day that Soul and Maka were going to _get__ together_. In which Maka voiced her disgust immediately. The concept of her and Soul...it was just ridiculous! The simple idea of him touching her made Maka gag. Why would she want to be with someone who deliberately tried to tick her off?

"Whatever you say, Maka. But if I didn't know any better, I'd think you _like_ Soul tugging on your hair."

Maka's scowl deepened. "Yeah, right. When all hell freezes over. How much more time until he gets here, anyway?"

Tsubaki checked her phone, her blue eyes interlocking with the bright screen. "Twenty-nine seconds, if he follows the routine."

Maka huffed, sliding her AP textbooks from her grey bag. "He _always_ follows the routine. That's the problem."

"Oh, yes. Soul showing up everyday at the exact same time just to please you is definitely a problem," Tsubaki teased with a wink, already dodging down the hallway so Maka had no time to retort. Maka narrowed her emerald green eyes at her friends retreating figure. She would definitely be hearing from Maka later. If there was one other thing that was reliable, it was Tsubaki's relentless hints about SoMa. She didn't even know what a 'SoMa' was until Kid took the liberty of explaining that it was a couple name of Maka and Soul that Tsubaki and Black Star had come up with. Honestly, in all the time that Maka had known her friend, which was a very long time, she never showed much interest over couples. Soul and Maka's arguing seemed to have unleashed a girly monster on her friend. Maka blamed in on the stress, but also on Black Star. As a result, Maka would also find little ways to talk about Black Star and Tsubaki, but unfortunately, it didn't seem to have a reaction on her like it did to Maka. Black Star on the other hand, would blush furiously and stammer uncontrollably.

Maka was ripped from her thoughts when a small pang of pain flickered from the side of her hair. "Hey, pigtails."

"Jerk," Maka hissed, ripping away from his touch. She turned up to glare at him, her green eyes narrowed. His ruby ones were lit up with mischief and a brightness that seemed to always cause her lips to tug upward into a half-smile. The same jacket was on, and his cologne was as obnoxiously sprayed on as ever. "You know, I could always just take my pigtails out."

"But you won't."

"And why is that?" she demanded, heaving her books into her arms.

"Because secretly you love when I call you that."

Maka flushed, swatting at the back of his hair. Beside them, Ox rolled his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself,_ Evans_." She saw him tense at his last-name, a terse emotion coursing through him, one that Maka could never understand. She never knew why he detested his actual name so much.

"Flattery? Oh, I don't think so, tiny-tits." Another thwack to the back of his head. "I don't need to flatter myself. You do that already."

"Soul, I'm not in the mood," Maka snapped back, clearly agitated. "We have a test today; I want to do well. So no tugging my pigtails."

"Not even a little?" he tried.

"No."

He pretended to think about it for a few moments. "Hm, okay. I think I can agree to that. After all, we have a whole six hours of school left after that."

Maka gritted her teeth. "Why do you have to bother me, Soul?"

He grinned, an emotion that was too quickly to obtain flashing over his crimson eyes. "Just because."

. . .

'I think I can agree to that' my ass, Maka thought in agitation.

_Tug._

_Tug. _

_Tug. _

_Tug. _

He bounced between her hair, playing with the strands of blonde. She seethed, trying to focus on her history test. _A sound soul dwells within a-_

"Soul," she whispered. "I would really, _really_ appreciate it if you would leave the pulling to a minimum."

There was a pregnant pause, beside the scribbles of other pencils.

"But cool guys always pull girl's hair," he said, a grin in his voice. "It's just the way things work."

Maka snorted. "Maybe with you and Black Star."

_Tug. _

_Tug. _

_Tug. _

Really? REALLY? Maka filled in the next answer rapidly and sloppily before tilting her head to the side. "I will Maka-chop you," she warned in a dangerously quiet tone, "if you don't let me finish this test."

He fell silent and her tense shoulders relaxed. She managed to get through ten more questions before-

"Hey, Maka?" A pencil poked her.

She ignored him, filling out two more blank answers, then moved on to true and false.

"Maka, Maka, Maka, Maka, Maka, Maka, Maka, Maka, Maka, Maka, Maka, Maka, Maka-" every time he spoke her name in that whiny voice, a sharp pencil would prod into her shoulder. What did she ever do to deserve this torment? "Heyyyyy...Maka. Tiny-tits. Pigtails."

Fed up, she whirled around to face Soul Eater. "What are you, five?"

She couldn't see him completely, but she knew he was grinning crookedly with those sharp teeth and all. She could never ignore him for long, after all. "What perfume do you use?"

Her voice was incredulous. "_What_?"

"I just wanna know," he explained. "'Cause you always smell good." Okay, she was going to pretend that she didn't just intimidate a tomato right then and there.

Maka scoffed, trying to collect herself. Soul always managed to get her flustered, for some reason that she kept on denying in her head. "What perfume do _you_ use?"

There was a cough of laughter.

Their professor, Stein, suddenly aware of their discussion, shot them both a stern glance. "Maka and Soul. You know flirting isn't tolerated in this classroom."

Maka blinked rapidly at the odd teacher, her green eyes wide in disbelief and the tips of her nose turning a darker shade of red. "F-flirting? With Soul? No!"

Black Star chuckled loudly from the other side of the room, his eyes locked in on the situation. "HA, HA, HA! I KNEW IT, MAKA!"

"Shut up, Black Star!"

"YOU CAN'T SHUT A GOD UP! JUST WAIT UNTIL I SMITE YOU!"

"Black Star, Maka, and Soul," the professor's voice suddenly was cutting and on edge, causing all the attention to be derailed back to him. He twisted the knob on his head, eyeing the three students with a small, malicious grin. "Detention tonight. With me." As Maka began to splutter desperate excuses and pleads, Soul just sitting back with a relaxed expression. Black Star just snickered and cracked his knuckles. Ah, well. At least he'd get to seem them together in action.

. . .

She dribbled and ball and _attempted_ to take a shot. The ball slipped from her hands and it missed the net half-way, causing her to stomp her foot childishly, despite being in front of her class. Gym. How she despised gym. Not gym itself, she actually quite liked it, but it was the whole issue of the basketball unit that riled her up. She was bursting with frustration as she etched to the other side of the gymnasium after yet another loss at knockout. Throwing the ball in a cry of anger (rather harshly) at an unsuspecting student that didn't deserve a fast ball sent to their nose, her rage instantly dissipated to concern and guilt. Crona, the pink-haired boy slumped to the floor with a bloody nose, most of her other classmates sending her smirks and looks of irritation. Maka never really cared what others thought. Because of that, however, she wasn't the most social-butterfly. Maka apologized profusely and offered to take the boy to the nurse, which he accepted, and so she babied him the entire way down the hallway. "I'm so sorry! Are you sure you're okay?"

Crona's cheeks tinted and he managed to nod. "I'm fine. I just don't know how to deal with blood."

Maka smiled warmly, but her emerald eyes still shone with guilt. "Just tilt your head down and everything'll be fine." Crona managed to smile back, even if he looked rather ridiculous with a napkin draped and pinched across his nose. "So, how long have you been going to this school?" she attempted to make small-talk. Hopefully he hadn't been here his entire life, because then she would've ended up looking like an even bigger jerk. She had already maimed the boy, for God's sakes. Maka hadn't seen him around, and was curious. He was shy, bashful, and if she's being honest, adorable. Really adorable. Not in a lovey-dovey way, but in an aw-it's-a-cute-puppy type way.

"Um, I just transferred for this year."

"Are you planning on staying for the rest high school?"

"My mom Medusa wants me to. So I guess I'm stuck here."

Maka smiled at him warmly. "Trust me, it's not so bad here. I mean, some people might seem mean, but there's a lot of nice students here. You can sit with me and my friends if you want to."

Crona did a half-smile back. "Thanks, but I sit with my friend Ragnarock."

Maka's eyebrows pinched together. "The school bully?"

"He's my cousin," Crona admitted sheepishly.

They were almost to the nurses office when she heard a voice that she could never mistake.

"I'm serious, Soul, she gets sexier every day. Dang. Puberty did its job on Liz."

Maka stopped suddenly, straining her ears to hear their conversation.

"Yeah, I guess."

"You guess?" Soul's friend sounded startled, like he had just punched him in the face or something. "C'mon, buddy! You need to get back in the game. Ever since that Yuki girl-"

"Maka," Soul corrected.

Maka's eyes widened at her name and she peered around the corner, her green eyes flashing in curiosity. At this point Crona stopped too. "Maka," he nudged her shoulder, as if she didn't already know. "They're talking about you." Maka nodded mutely in response to him, eyeing Soul carefully. What could they possibly be talking about? Her stomach seemed to flip up to the top of her chest, then sink down to the bottom like a rock in water. Were they...talking about...her? The pink-haired boy fidgeted nervously. "I don't know how to deal with this, Maka. What if they catch us eavesdropping?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. The girl who always wears those stupid pigtails? Yeah, that's her. The one that looks like she has a ten year olds boobs."

Maka narrowed her eyes as her cheeks flushed in humiliation, but sucked in a breath as she gauged in Soul's reaction. He seemed impassive at first, but she thought she saw his jaw clench momentarily and his red eyes darken like blood. Then, he smirked. His pointy teeth glinted as he replied, "Yep, that's the one." Maka let out a pained breath, tears pricking in the corner's of her green eyes.

"Dude, I don't even know why you bother with her. She's cute, at best, I'll admit that. Mostly she's just a hostile bitch who hangs out with a bunch of freaks and geeks."

She didn't know what she expected. For Soul to defend her? To disagree? She knew she shouldn't have. She shouldn't have even allowed herself to assume that they were friends. This was Soul Eater Evans. She was Maka Albarn. They hated each other. That was the only reason he even spoke to her, right? To spike into an argument? Every day she told him he needed to get a hobby. At that moment, she realized that she _was_ the hobby. Maka clenched her teeth, anger drowning her disappointment and sadness. She felt Crona place a shaky, hesitant hand on her shoulder, and it sucked her back into reality. "You okay?"

Maka let out a shaky breath and nodded, but not before catching Soul's answer. "Yep. That's Maka."

There was a pause.

"You like her or something?"

There was laughter. "Hell, no. She's just a bitch that's easy to make fun of."

They said some more things, but Crona gingerly began to pull her away. She allowed herself to be tugged along, tears spilling over her short eyelashes.

"I'm sorry, Maka," Crona apologized when they got a farther distance away.

She smiled through tears, wiping them away on the sleeve of her white sweater. "Why are you sorry? It's not your fault."

"I still feel bad."

"You feel bad?" Maka straightened one of her pigtails sheepishly. "I'm the one who chucked a ball at your face!" The corners of Crona's lips twitched upward and Maka's attitude brightened as she grinned back. "Sorry if I made you feel bad, Crona. It's just-"

"You don't know how to deal with Soul?"

"Yeah. I guess I just thought he was someone else." She clenched her fist painfully. "I was wrong."

Her dependability came crashing down.

. . .

It was lunch time and Maka was still unable to shake Souls friend's words and Soul's lack of defense. Honestly, though, what had she really expected? That he would be her friend? Maybe even something more? She reprimanded herself, wondering if those words were true. It was accurate that she could be hostile at times, but was she really a bitch? Subconsciously, Maka tugged on the edge of her skirt, pulling it down further and trying to get into Black Star's conversation about how he 'whipped ass during basketball.' Her green eyes gazed down at her untouched food. Picking up a plastic fork, she took a bite of the school's lasagna. It tasted like acid to her mouth and when she swallowed, the tightened feeling in her stomach increasing. She felt like she was going to throw up and cry at the same time. _Do you like her or something? Hell, no. She's just a bitch that's easy to make fun of. _A tear splattered on the cafeteria table and she wiped it away with her arm sleeve. Kid watched her dubiously from the corner of his eye, frowning at how upset she seemed. Black Star didn't seem to notice as he droned on, and it appeared Tsubaki was too involved in trying to get the blue-haired boy to calm down to notice anything unusual about Maka's behavior. Every once in a while, however, the blue-eyed girl would shoot edging looks to Maka, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Maka?"

Kid nudged her and her green eyes met his. "Huh? What is it, Kid?"

"Are you okay?" Golden eyes began to search hers. "Nope. It appears that you're not."

Maka scowled at his deduction. "I'm fine, Kid." It felt like there was ice in her mouth, so she spat the words out quickly. "Really. It's nothing to worry about."

Kid wasn't one to pry. "Fine. At least let me arrange your tray. The fruit cup has to be on the left side and your milk on the right."

Maka rolled her eyes as she slid her tray over to Kid's side. "Go nuts."

"HEY, MAKA!" Black Star yelled towards her, even though she was sitting right across from him. Maka cringed in disgust as she got a very good view of the contents of his chewed food. "ARE YOU PUMPED FOR DETENTION TODAY?" Black Star swallowed, sending her an excited, biting smile. "I am! It's gonna be AWESOME. I mean, usually a god like me wouldn't bother with detention, but I've decided to make an exception!"

"Detention?" Tsubaki and Kid echoed at the same time.

The boy frowned, his golden eyes blinking. "Is that why you're so upset?"

"Maka's_ upset_? Since when?"

"I'm not upset!" she protested, jutting her jaw and jeering any of them to say something further.

"See? She's totally fine."

"Be quiet, Black Star," Tsubaki scolded, her gaze shining worriedly at her friend. "You can tell us anything, you know. But if you don't want to, that's okay. Just know we'll be there for you whenever you need us." She smiled, her eyes closing into a warm, comforting expression. Maka nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. Tsubaki always seemed to know the right things to say to extinguish a breaching argument.

"Thanks. I'm going to go throw out my food now." She picked up her tray from Kid, much to Black Star's displeasure.

"Are you KIDDING ME? YOU HAVE A SNACKPACK LEFT! Serve your god and give it to me!" Maka huffed at her friend, tossing the chocolate pudding to Black Star, who smirked in gratitude and smugness. "That's what I thought, peasant."

Maka carried her tray up to her garbage can, determined to ignore Soul.

"Looking good, pigtails!" he called when she passed his table, frowning in confusion when she didn't respond with her usual 'looking stupid, jackass.' Every day, for the past three months, that's what she said. Now it was as if he didn't exist to the book-worm. "Maka!" Soul yelled again, certain that she hadn't caught his comment. But she should've expected it. They've been saying that for the past ninety-three days, not that he's been keeping track. He was too cool for things like that. She had to have heard him, unless she was purposely ignoring him. Soul called out to Maka again, in which she swallowed, her throat dry and her stomach constricting.

The next time he called out to her, this time in urgency, she was toppling over and collapsing to the ground.

A purple high-heel that belonged to Blair Richardson was stretched out, the obvious culprit to Maka's abrupt descend. Her tray clattered over the shiny floor, but not before a full plate of lasagna was spilled over her neck and clothes. A fruit cup spilled on her bare legs, and the chocolate milk was slowly forming around her, like a pool of blood. Panic grasped at Soul as he climbed from his chair, reaching for someone that didn't want to be reached. Especially not by him. She climbed upward calmly as laughter resounded through the cafeteria. Their eyes caught for a moment, Soul's wide with surprise and hers angry. Maka did a mock curtsey to the other classmates, causing most of them to fall silent. There was a grin plastered to her face as she picked up the half-full milk carton-

-and dumped it over Blair's head.

_That was his girl_, Soul thought in laughter.

She walked from the cafeteria.

Soul followed.

She knew he was behind her. It was pretty obvious. His cologne was so strong you could smell it two classrooms away. It was slightly useful now, though she's never thought that before. Now, she would know whenever he was around. She dodged straight into the girl's restroom, certain that he wouldn't follow her in. She flinched in surprise as the door clanged open. Well, he was Soul.

"Are you okay?"

Maka began to wipe away lasagna that had created a red sweater around her, rinsing paper towels in the sink. She scrubbed and dabbed, but the stain wouldn't lift. Sighing, she began on her soaked skirt, fighting back tears.

"Can I help?"

She couldn't bite her words back, "Haven't you helped enough today?"

Soul blinked in puzzlement. "What?"

"Never mind," she snapped, throwing the rinsed paper towels into the trash can. "Forget it. I'm just going to find a different bathroom." She tried to walk past him, but he stopped her with his arms. "Hey!"

"You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's up. It's not very cool of you to do leave me out of the loop. If you're angry with me, then I wanna know why. Did I do something wrong?"

"Why do you even care, Soul?" Maka shot back. "I'm just a bitch who's easy to make fun of, remember?"

His expression contorted to shock. His ruby eyes shifted as his arm fell to his side, like he was too weak to hold it up any longer. "Ah, Maka...shit. I really screwed up, okay?" She tried to push past him, but he stood his ground. They were near the same height, but she couldn't manage to rip away. It was like pushing against a wall. "Maka! Just let me explain! I didn't mean what I said. I was only...I was only trying to be cool."

"You were only trying to be cool?" she repeated in disbelief, glowering at him. She couldn't believe the idiot!

"I know, I know," he rambled desperately, trying to get her to stay. "It was so freaking stupid and wasn't worth it. We're friends. I shouldn't have betrayed you like that. Trust me when I say that I meant none of it. You're cool, Maka. You're probably one of my coolest friends. It was just me being stupid. Really, really stupid. Can you forgive me?" Soul's eyes were pleading as he gazed into Maka's, who seemed conflicted. After a few agonizingly silent minutes, Maka nodded slowly.

"Fine. I forgive you. But know if you talk crap about me behind my back, I'll Maka-chop you 'till the end of time."

Soul grinned in relief, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

They both froze.

Maka tensed in his arms and Soul awkwardly coughed, gently releasing her. "Er, sorry."

Maka suddenly seemed interested in her boots.

Soul wiped away sauce that had gotten on his coat from their hug.

"Soul?" Maka's voice was suddenly small. Too wavering for his liking. "Why are you friends with me?"

He grinned at her, pointy-teeth and all. "Just because."

It seemed the Earth was back on its axis.

. . .

Besides little things like that, their life continued on its usual routine. Maka knew that it was a little odd to love routines so much, but it was just so dependable. After her papa cheated on her mama- she just needed some strong walls. School helped. Every period was the same. Her laminated schedule was one of her anchors in a sea of problems. And Soul? Well, he managed to get himself sucked into it. And Maka couldn't say that she minded.

After gym and lunch, they went there separate ways. Maka, to advanced math, and Soul to math lab. But apparently it was too difficult for the white-haired boy to stay apart from Maka Albarn for forty-five minutes, because every five seconds, her phone would buzz with a new incoming text from him. She wasn't even sure how he got her number. Maka supposed she could always turn her phone off, like she usually did for the entire day, excluding math and any other classes the pair had apart, but somehow her thumb kept finding the power button.

_I'm so bored. _

Maka huffed indigently, her green eyes darting down to the text. Miss Marie didn't seem to notice as she scribbled formulas passionately on the blackboard with a bright smile, her caramel eye bright with cheerfulness that spread through the class like a virus. Soul was correct- math was extremely uneventful. Maka was skilled at it. She loved math. She liked figuring out an answer. She enjoyed memorizing PEMDAS and everything in between. If you asked Soul what his favorite subject is, it'd probably be lunch.

She quickly typed back a response; _You know, maybe if you actually paid attention in math, you wouldn't be in math help._

Maka hit send, grabbing her blue pen and writing down Miss Marie's instructions, occasionally using the calculator when she got to a problem that her brain couldn't process. She tapped her foot impatiently, eagerly awaiting Soul's response. Maka didn't know why she felt so giddy around the boy, but she eventually decided that the nervous jitters in her stomach were not from Soul, but from the anxiety of getting caught. Yeah, that was it. It had to be it.

Her phone vibrated on her leg. A small smile tugged at her lips, but she forced it down. Another cautious look to Miss Marie, (she already had detention with Soul and wasn't keen on going a sixth time) she read his reply.

_Not all of us can be geniuses like you, pigtails. And what the hell do we need math for, anyway? _

She fired away another illegal text.

_I'm surprised that you can spell such a big word, Soul. And we need math for lots of things! Taxes, bills, managing bank accounts, etc. _

She fought back a girlish giggle when her emerald eyes slid across his words. _Okay, okay. No need for a list. You know I hate lists. __Let's play a game._

_What kind of game? _

_It's called sexting. ;) _

Maka glared down at the text, rolling her eyes and mumbling curses at his suggestion. Just when they were actually getting along.

_I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that. _

_Technically, I didn't say it. I texted it. And here I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. _

_Looks can be deceiving, _Maka responded_. After all, when I first saw you, I thought you looked reasonably intelligent. _

She grinned smugly, knowing she had won this round. Maka- 114, Soul- 117. Almost all tied up.

_Ouch. That hurt, tiny-tits. Shit! Stein caught me. Detention. _

Maka locked her phone and jammed it into her desk, feeling oddly satisfied.

. . .

The bell rang shortly after, and Maka made her way to her library study hall, where she planned to catch up with Crona. That was the only class they had together, and Maka found herself becoming oddly found of the pink-haired boy who she once whipped a basketball at his nose. She expected Crona to hate her for it, but instead, much to the girl's surprise, it brought Crona and her together. They became close friends after that, always sitting together during study hall, much to Soul's vexation. All three of them had study hall together, and Soul wasn't exactly supportive to Maka's new friend. He wasn't mean to him, but still, you could cut through his annoyance with a knife.

"Yo, Sid!" Maka and Crona's conversation was cut short as Soul's voice immersed through the quiet room as he fist-pumped with their teacher. Really? Maka placed the novel down on the table, crossing her arms. Sid yelled at anyone who even spoke above a whisper. But somehow Soul was an exception...

"Hello, pigtails," Soul announced as he made his way to the desk on the other side of Maka, eyes flashing with playfulness. "Is this seat taken?"

Maka shook her head, her eyes never leaving the words on the page. "No, but this one might be if you sit down."

Soul snickered as he planted himself next to the skirt wearing girl, who was still completely engrossed in the book. "You're getting more and more hostile every day, Albarn."

Maka shrugged. "What can I say? You bring out the worst in me."

Crona shifted beside her. "I really don't know how to deal with conflict."

And finally, Maka turned her attention away from her book. She smiled warmly at Crona, eyes shining and comforting, completely oblivious to the way Soul's fist suddenly clenched with resentfulness and envy. "Don't worry, Crona. I know Soul acts like a big jerk, but I promise we're not going to break into a fist-fight or anything." Crona relaxed a bit, his tense shoulders softening and his posture leaning backwards. Ever since Crona had heard what Soul said about Maka, he didn't trust Soul Eater. Maka's fruitless attempts to convince him that it was all a big misunderstanding didn't repose him either.

"I wouldn't be so sure," he teased. "Maka's known for being a feisty one."

Crona gasped, covering his head in his shoulders. "Please don't fight!"

"_Sa- oul!" _He like it when Maka yelled his name like that; it was a mixture of whininess and anger that struck him with pleasure. "Don't scare him!"

"Whataya gonna do, tiny-tits? Hit me?"

"You are such a big-headed jerk! Why do have to make my life a living hell?"

He winked. "Just because."

Those two simple words that Maka couldn't seem to decipher.

_Just think a little harder, book-worm_, Soul mentally edged her, _then you'll know why I bother you endlessly. I love you, you idiot!_

Maka's green eyes flashed dangerously. "What is that supposed to mean? You tell me that every day and you never tell me what it means!" Childishly, her foot slammed against the rug, book long forgotten.

"C'mon, Maka. Be the smart one. Why do you think I bother you?" He was suddenly close, directly in front of her face. Maka's heart beat rapidly increased and she was barely aware of Crona cowering in the other side of the room, claiming that he didn't know how to deal with 'sexual tension.' Blushing, she tried to rip away from his gaze, but the more she moved, the more his closeness increased. "Answer me."

"I, uh, er, um-"

"What was that?"

Suddenly, Maka seemed to get her senses back. She snapped her seven hundred page novel in front of his face, causing him to flinch back. That toothy grin was still there, as was Maka's blush. "MAKA CHOP!" She attempted to slam the book down on his head, but quickly, he caught her wrist before the giant brick could smash onto his face. "I hate you."

An odd, soft look flashed across Soul's eyes as his grin transformed into genuine smile. "I hate you, too."

. . .

After school came their usual detention. Black Star was there (he was there _all_ the time) and Ragnarock, the school bully and class clown, was there once every week. There was never a pattern with him- he was sly and obnoxious, but sometimes he did get caught slamming Crona's face into a locker. A few other nameless Freshman were seated beside them, and in the corner, were Maka and Soul. Professor Stein sat in the front of the room, occasionally throwing them creepy smiles.

"Why does he have to be so damn weird?" Soul groaned, stretching himself back so his hands purposely came into contact with Maka's face.

"Soul!" she whined, slapping his hands away. "When was the last time you washed your hands, anyway? I'm probably gonna break out in pimples!"

"Good. They'll match the pigtails."

"You are such an asshole."

Soul cackled with laughter, but clamped his half-ajar mouth shut when Stein sent him a malicious glare. Black Star was busily drawing in his journal and when Soul went up to sharpen his pencil (to poke Maka with) he caught glimpse of his drawing. It was of a blue, spiky haired boy sitting on a throne in mount Olympus and smiting everything and everyone. As cool as Black Star could be, sometimes that kid just had some serious god-complex issues. Ragnarock, the black-haired, 6 ft something boy, who continuously cracking his knuckles, and occasionally giving the small kids in front of him wet-willies. That was just the way it went. Every single day. It was just a pattern. A routine. And Soul knew there was nothing more that Maka liked more than being able to know what was going to happen next.

"Maka? I'm bored."

"You say that everyday," she pointed out indigently. "Come up with something different."

"Fine." He sat in silence for a few moments. "Maka? I'm uninterested in our predicament."

Maka smiled in actual amusement, something he had never thought she had. She always was the girl with the stick up her ass, and he was enjoying slowly getting under her skin and breaking down the walls that she had seemingly surrounded herself with.  
"Nice vocabulary words."

"I'm still bored," he huffed.

Maka rolled her swampy green eyes, casting him an expression of irritation. "And whose fault is that? You're the one who always texts me then ends up getting caught."

"But I'm way too cool to be in detention."

"So read a book." She handed him a slip of paper. "Write a poem."

"That's Crona's job," he protested. "He's the one who can write super-hella depressing poems. Not me. I'm too cool for poetry."

"You're starting to sound a lot like Black Star, you know. Better shrink that ego before it takes over your head."

He ran his fingers through the side of her hair before gently pulling on the edges of the blonde strands.

"Ow! Soul! I'm trying to actually finish my homework, unlike you."

"You know, this is nice," he whispered.

She stiffened. "What is?"

"Us being friends. I get to know you. I wish you'd stop shutting me out though. But that's just who you are, I guess. You don't let people in until you are certain you can trust them. And even then, you keep one foot out the door. That's fine with me. Just means I have to try a little harder to break down that damn door of yours." Maka didn't respond. Her head was tilted away from his, hiding her expression. Her entire body was frozen and tense. For a minute, Soul was sure he had messed everything up with her. That wasn't cool of him. But when she turned back, her green eyes were dark, however her face was neutral. "Sorry," he quickly apologized, wondering how she would further react.

"It's fine," she shook her head, eyes dazed in response. "It's just...I don't know. Never mind."

"Why?"

"Why, what?"

"Why do you push everyone away?"

She sighed, slouching slightly in her seat. Maka's voice dropped to a whisper, "Because of my papa. He's a bit of an alcoholic. He brings all sorts of women home."

Soul's crimson eyes widened at this newly received revelation. His heart sank into his stomach as a new question flittered through his mind. "Did he ever...hit you?"

"No! No! God, no," Maka's green eyes were honest. They then dropped to the floor. "It's just weird...coming home and finding your papa on the couch with another women instead of your mama."

"I'm...sorry." He couldn't imagine what that would be like. He really couldn't. His family didn't really like him, nor did they appreciate him. He highly doubted that his father even loved him at all, mother and brother included. So if he came home and found his father with another girl...well, he wouldn't care. He couldn't. They don't care about him, and he doesn't care about him. It's a mutual, silent agreement. He just lived there so he had a shower, electricity, a roof over his head and a hot meal. He never got to understand what it was like to be loved by a family. Soul had always been bitter that his life practically skipped his childhood, but honestly, now he was glad. He didn't have to be disappointed by them. To Soul, they would never change. And after hearing Maka's confession, he was surprisingly okay with that.

Maka shrugged aimlessly. "It's not your fault. After that, my papa asked me to keep it a secret. And I did-"

Soul grimaced at how that must've turned out.

"But then my papa brought another girl home. Only I wasn't the one who caught him this one. My mama was. And she took off. I tried to get her to stay, but after she found out I had kept it a secret for so long, she didn't really care to hear what I had to say. She just...left and never came back." Soul frowned and placed a hand on Maka's shoulder. She stared at him through unshed tears in gratitude. "It's fine, really." Her expression brightened back to its usual state, much to Soul's relief. "I still get post-cards from her and everything!"

Soul frowned, trying to bind together the right words so he didn't come off like he was offending Ms. Albarn. "That doesn't seem fair to you."

Maka returned back to her book, this time, tugging on her own pigtail. She smiled gently at him, though her emerald eyes were sad-looking. "I suppose it's not. But it's what I have to live with, right?"

He grinned suddenly at her optimistic words, pointy teeth glinting. "Right."

. . .

The rain was pouring now, splattering against the school's windows as everyone from detention exited the classroom. Professor Stein's 'I expect not see you here next week' was said, although they all knew that they would be back here sometime in the next week. Maka buttoned her black jacket, shivering at the chilly air that engulfed all four students. "It's freezing out!"

"Suck it up, peasant!" Black Star exclaimed, laughing vigorously and splashing wildly in the room. He turned back to Maka, a newfound, mischievous glint in his eyes. "Well, you and Soul could always go into one of the empty class rooms and exchange body heat, if you know what I mean." Despite Maka's prior complaints about how cold she was, the blonde managed to flush a terrible, obvious red.

Soul cut in, "I'm sure you and Tsubaki could show us one."

Black Star's laughter died. "You're a douche, Soul!" It was his turn to blush at the mention of the blue-eyed girl.

Maka giggled at Soul's quip while Ragnarock cackled in the background. "Ha! You just got _told_!"

Black Star grumbled and stalked off. "Whatever." He suddenly brightened, turning. "We have gym tomorrow, don't we?"

Soul nodded, the smug smirk never leaving his lips. "Yeah."

"Then prepared to be dominated in basketball!"

"Alright, buddy. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Be prepared for tomorrow, Soul! Get a good night's sleep- 'cause you're gonna be eating my dust."

Maka gawked in confusion as Black Star sprinted away, seemingly oblivious to the droplets of pouring rain instantly soaking his hair and clothes. "Did anyone else notice how that sentence didn't even make any sense?"

Soul merely laughed, waving a little to a departing Ragnarock. Maka followed him over to his motorcycle, (death trap, as she named it the first time she caught sight of the red gloss) the same thing that she did almost every day. Maka felt the rain sopping her hair and she gripped her umbrella tighter, making sure that it was hovering over both of them. Soul slung his legs around the bike, and Maka felt a small squeeze of nerves. It looked frightening- the motorcycle, all huge and intimidating, roaring that menacing noise whenever Soul pulled from and to school. He had offered multiple time that he could give her a ride home on it (hell to the no!) instead of waiting for her no-good papa. Maka had nervously declined, although there was a part of her that enjoyed the idea that Soul wouldn't mind driving her home. She wondered what would happen if she said yes, though she knew the answer would always be no. Would he walk her to her door? Would she invite him inside? Would she show Soul her collection of nerdy books? Would he make fun of her? Probably.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Maka was drawn from her thoughts from his question. "Oh, nothing."

"Okay." He sounded unsure, but brushed it off. Soul didn't pry- not intentionally, anyways. That's what she liked best about him. He gave her space if she needed it; something her friends would never do. Besides Kid anyway. But he was different- he didn't really know how to give a person enough space or too little. "Wanna ride home?"

Maka made a face. "Uh, no."

"Oh, c'mon! It would be better than waiting for your dad in the rain, right?"

"It would be," she admitted. "But there is no way I'm getting on that _thing_."

Soul pouted right back, his frown deepening. With his free hand, he stroked the padding in the front of the bike. "Don't worry, Marline. She didn't mean it."

Maka rolled her eyes. Who names inanimate objects? She used to name toys when she was younger, but that was before she was fifteen. And toys were different. She asked Kid about it, and he said it was a guy thing. When she overheard the two popular sisters Liz and Patty discussing how women would never truly understand men, and vice-versa, she was beginning to see why.

"Anyways, you in?" he showed off his sharp teeth. "Don't be a baby, Maka."

"I'm not a baby," she jutted back, pulling on the hem of her plaid skirt. "And why ever would I break routine?" Maka teased half-heartedly.

She expected Soul to grin or crack another smile, but his expression remained terse. "You know, it's okay to do things differently every once and a while." Maka stared at him, startled. That was their thing. They did routines. They never mixed it up- unless they got into a harsh argument, and in which case, that almost never happened. She liked doing things the same. She didn't have to feel worried or brace herself for disappointment, because she trusted in their system.

Maka fidgeted under the red umbrella. "You just go on without me."

"Okay. You sure?"

She nodded, her smile brightening. "I'm sure. And Soul," she said what she said every single day, "You should really consider getting an actual car. That thing is a death trap."

Soul shrugged, reaching out with his hand and ruffling the top of her hair, before moving down and pulling on her hair. "I'm careful on it, pigtails. Don't worry so much." He revved the bike, causing her to flinch and jump back five feet. "And Maka?"

"Hm?" Her cheeks were flaming with humiliation from her action, taking a few hesitant steps closer to the red vehicle.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but he clamped his mouth shut, shaking his head. "Nothing."

"No! Tell me what you were going to say. It was obviously important."

He stared at her incredulously, before planting a small kiss on her cheek. As soon as his lips touched the left side of her cheek, he had pulled away. "You're right. That _did_ seem important."

Maka blushed, standing idly, suddenly taking an interest to the streams of water below them. "W-what, what was that for?"

"Just because."

And finally, did she seem to have some kind of idea to what those words could've meant.

. . .

The next day at school, Maka felt surprisingly energized. Even her father's hung over state in the morning didn't seem to faze her. Her heart was hammering with excitement. That kiss on the cheek- a plain, simple action- had opened her emerald eyes to a world of possibilities. If 'just because', meant what she assumed it did, then maybe breaking their pattern wouldn't be as difficult as she previously imagined it being. Maybe, in fact, it would be better. She practically was skipping into school, heedless of the sympathetic and saddened expressions of the other students.

Hey, Tsubaki!" she burst brightly, unaware of her friend's puffy eyes. Stuffing her books quickly in her locker, she turned and began rambling. "Have you seen Soul yet today? I'm running a little bit late and it looks like he's a minute from when he usually shows up...hey," her voice turned to concern. "What's wrong? Have you been crying?" haired girl covered her hand with her mouth, stifling a sob that wracked through her body. "Tsubaki, hey. You're scaring me. You look really upset."

"I'm so sorry, Maka," the girl whispered in a clouded tone, laces of red lining her blue eyes. "You don't know, do you?"

Maka stared at her friend, grabbing her books and papers for English. "Uh, what do I not know?"

"Did you check your student email last night?"

Maka shook her head. "Has something happened?"

Tsubaki interlocked her friend with a tight hug and Maka dubiously tried to retract, but her best friend wouldn't loosen her tight hold. "I would take you somewhere private," she whimpered softly, "But I think you should know before the meeting in the auditorium. I think you'd rather hear it from me than one of our teachers."

"Tsubaki..." her tone became drastically panicked. "Where's Soul?"

Something wasn't right.

"Maka. Listen very carefully to me. Soul...he passed away last night."

Maka froze, her knees wobbling. Tsubaki didn't release her, despite how roughly Maka was jerking to get away. "No, no! That's not right; that can't be!" She had just seen him after school. His lips had touched her cheek... she went home after that, starting on her homework. If he died, she would've known something was wrong. She would've felt it in the pit of her stomach, just like in all the movies. Right?

_Right? _

"You're lying!"

"I'm not." Tears were falling down both their cheeks now, Maka's in confusion and Tsubaki's in pain. "I'm not, Maka."

"T-then how, huh?" Her lower lip was wobbling. "How?"

She didn't need to explain further.

"He was heading home after school..." Tsubaki began, her shoulder's shaking. "And well, it was that bike we always all complained about. If he would've been in a car, he would've been fine. But it was a truck, Maka. A big truck and a small motorcycle."

Maka's throat suddenly felt constricted; as if it was filled with cotton. "W-what kind of truck?"

"Maka, how is this relevant?"

"Who did it?" she demanded, advancing on her friend. "Who was the driver?"

"They don't know," Tsubaki whispered. "It was a hit and run..."

Maka's hand trembled and she ran from the school, ignoring all shouts from her friends and teachers.

It couldn't be.

He wasn't dead.

He was fine.

It couldn't be.

Maka made it half-way to her house before sinking to the ground on the side of the road, gasping and spluttering, bile rising to the top of her throat, then hacking all over the ground.

_Dependability. _

_She could always count on Soul._

_He promised._

_He was just there._

_He kissed her cheek. _

_Routine._

_Pattern._

_Pattern. _

_Pattern. _

_Pattern._

_Routine._

_Always the same._

_Never would be the same again._

And when Maka finally managed to uncurl from the ground and stop throwing up, she walked quietly back to school. She entered the empty gym, realizing that they were all still hearing words from the staff and students. She didn't want to sit through hours of wondering what could've been. She glanced up with unshed eyes at the basketball net, knowing that she would never know whether or not Soul would've beat Black Star. And she realized that if there was one thing she could've seen the outcome to, that would be it. Something simple like that.

Maka knew that if he hadn't died on that street, maybe there might've been a future for them. Maybe not. She would never know now, and that was the point.

Soul Evans wasn't dependable anymore. But people never would be, would they? They come, they go, and sometimes they even die.

It hurt, more than anything she had ever felt before.

And later that night, Maka lit a candle for Soul. Eventually it burned out, dripping all over the table, and she had to end up blowing out the flame. Her papa had wiped it up for her. That night was the only night in months that Maka's papa was sober.

He cooked her dinner- a very burned dinner, but she still tried to appreciate the effort- and he told her how sorry he was about her boyfriend. Maka told him that Soul hadn't been her boyfriend, but he could've been. He didn't even go near beer or booze, too occupied with taking care of his depressed daughter. Maka wanted to fight with him, demand why he was finally actually taking care of her, actually bothering to make an effort after all these years- but frankly, she was tired. She let him cook her food, do the laundry, and even let him hug her when she was crying, though her shoulders were stiff.

And a week later, she attended his funeral in a black dress, her hair in pigtails with black ribbons around them.

As they lifted his red coffin into the ground, Maka gave them a small, sharp pull, just as Soul would've done.

Maka knew that wherever he was, heaven or somewhere else, he would be smiling at her.

And for now, in that moment, it was enough to keep her going.

It was enough to make her smile sadly in return.

_"Why did you have to die?"_

_"Just because." _

* * *

**A/N: This is my first Soul Eater fanfiction, let alone my first SoMa one. There will be more to come in the future, but hopefully I did okay on my first attempt at a Soul/Maka one-shot. I'm really, truly obsessed with that anime. I have yet to read the manga yet, but I'm going to get them soon. I'm sorry for the depressing ending. I truly am. If you want to, just pretend that the section before this was the ending. Because that does pretty well on its own too, but I decided to move this one-shot in a different way. Please review and tell me what you thought of it! Follows, favorites, and simple reads are appreciated too. **


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